Showtime gets ‘Shameless’

Pay cabler orders 12 episodes of William H. Macy drama

Showtime has given a 12-episode series pickup to William H. Macy starrer “Shameless,” from Warner Bros. TV and John Wells Prods.

Series, based on a long-running British drama, stars Macy as the alcoholic patriarch of a large, unconventional, blue-collar family in Chicago.

Paul Abbott, creator of the original series, is exec producer of the Showtime adaptation along with Wells. “Shameless” is expected to go into production in late summer but there’s no word yet on a premiere date.